More than 2000 western suburbs women have sought treatment at a Wyndham IVF clinic since it opened its doors last year.
Melbourne IVF Werribee claims there has been a 20 per cent increase in patients in the past quarter.
Dr Joseph Sgroi, from Melbourne IVF Werribee, said societal changes, along with the growing population in the west, had led to a significant spike in the number of couples seeking fertility treatment since the company opened its doors last year.
“Since I commenced consulting there, I have seen a four-fold increase in women visiting my practice, which is consistent with what we have experienced at Melbourne IVF overall, especially as the number of women starting families later in life continues to grow and they want to know their options,” Dr Sgroi said.
“The patients I have seen so far have all welcomed the opportunity to access advice and treatment locally.”
Sa Smith, of Altona, decided to use IVF to get pregnant.
“My partner had a vasectomy from a previous relationship and IVF came up as a good option,” Ms Smith said.
“I’d been warned that it might take a few tries, and I was prepared to go again if the first one didn’t work, but we were actually really surprised when I got pregnant on the first attempt.”
Ms Smith is 23 weeks pregnant and expecting a girl.
Dr Sgroi said IVF technology had continued to develop in Australia.
“As an indication of how far we have come since IVF began in Australia, the average age of first-time mothers giving birth in Australia has risen from 25 years 30 years ago to 32 years of age today,” he said.
Dr Sgroi said female age remained the main reason couples struggled to conceive naturally.
Dr Joseph Sgroi.
